Kaplan University launches “Visionary Voices” series

Students earning their degree through online education need not miss out on the traditional college experience of finding inspiration through mentors and accomplished professors. Thanks to schools like Kaplan University, a lead innovator in higher education, opportunities for enriching the college experience are plentiful.

Today, Kaplan University announced a new series called “Visionary Voices,” which will feature the motivational and inspirational words of more than 80 of today’s great thought leaders, business people and intellectuals. Particularly, these leaders will share how they have found success in the modern global economy, offering valuable insight for the upcoming generation of college graduates.

The series will feature popular speakers from other conferences including the World Economic Forum, Techonomy and the Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit.

A variety of insight

Giving valuable insight on skills and motivation, Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn will speak on the importance of continuing education. Jack Canfield, CEO of the Canfield Training Group will speak on creating support and accountability, and Wendy Hawkins, executive director of Intel foundation will speak on the future of education. Additionally,Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer of Cisco Systems will speak on the business of technology and Deborah Hopkins, chief innovation officer for Citi will speak on “customer-centricity.”

Modes of delivery

Inspiration will be given through a combination of several means for both Kaplan students and the general public, including lessons implemented into Kaplan student coursework, webinars and social media open to anyone with Internet access. Kaplan students will be able to find the motivational messages in their class assignments, in the career services department and via student advising functions.

Students will also be able to interact with a few of the best speakers, who will host webinars open to questions and conversation via web chat for students, alumni, faculty and guests. And once the webinars have ended, students and the general public will be able to access highlights from the speeches on Kaplan’s Web site, Kaplan’s social media channels and the Visionary Voices library.

“The Visionary Voices project provides extraordinary access to some of today’s most notable thought leadersâ€”senior-level executives who are sharing their innovative thinking and industry expertise to enhance the Kaplan University student experience,” Gary Marino, president of the Kaplan University Group said in a press release. “This initiative also provides anyone interested in furthering their education with a unique opportunity to experience the University’s distinctive programming.”

The planning process

Kaplan University has been planning and preparing for the “Visionary Voices” series over the course of the last year, interviewing potential speakers at different national and global speaking events, and garnering only the best of the interviewed speakers.

The series will provide a vast variety of experience, from authors to motivational speakers to business CEOs.

On their Web site, Kaplan University states the foundation of the series as part of their commitment to help students succeed.

With more than 92,000 students enrolled in online courses, Kaplan University is geared toward adults with a family or full-time job. The university “strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries,” according to their Web site.